County CluesWest Virginia counties quiz
Find the hidden West Virginia county out of all 55. Each guess shows how far, which way, and how big.
How the clues work
People compares your guess with the mystery county's 2023 population, from "Close" (within about 10%) to "Vastly more" (over 8 times as many). Growth says whether the mystery county grew faster or slower from 2020 to 2023, within one point counts as similar. Distance is in miles between the two counties' middles, with an arrow pointing the way to go; it turns striped within 40 miles.
A round, worked through
Say the mystery county is Kanawha County, the state's largest, with 174,805 people. You open with Jefferson County, 59,787 people. The tiles read: People: Far more; Growth: Slower; Distance: 208 mi, arrow west.
So the mystery is 208 miles west and has more people. You pick Mercer County, closer that way: People: Far more; Growth: Similar; Distance: 68 mi, arrow north. Now the mystery is 68 miles north and has more people. Only a few counties fit both clues.
Questions
How many counties are in West Virginia?
West Virginia has 55 counties in the Census Bureau's 2023 list. This quiz uses all of them.
What is the largest county in West Virginia by population?
Kanawha County, with 174,805 people in 2023, down 3.0% since 2020.
What is the largest county in West Virginia by land area?
Randolph County, with 1,040 square miles of land.
Which West Virginia county has the fewest people?
Wirt County, with 5,000 people in 2023.
Which West Virginia county is growing fastest?
Among counties with 10,000 or more people, Berkeley County grew fastest from 2020 to 2023, up 7.9%. McDowell County shrank the most, down 7.9%.
Is the daily County Clues puzzle the same?
The daily puzzle hides one county from the whole country each day, from the counties with 50,000 or more people, and gives state, division and region clues instead of distance. This page is practice you can replay.
Populations are the US Census Bureau's 2023 estimates; growth is the change since 2020. Distances run between each place's middle point on the Census Bureau's 2023 county list. Both are public domain.